Inequalities are Unhealthy

The growing inequalities we are witnessing in the world today are having a very negative impact on the health and quality of life of its populations. It is true, as many conservatives and neoliberal authors continue to stress, that health indicators are improving in many parts of the world, including in many underdeveloped countries. But what these authors are not saying is that the rate of improvements in these indicators have slowed down in most countries that have experienced a growth of inequalities, and in many of them, including the United States, these indicators have even reversed. According to the last report of the National Center for Health and Vital Statistics, infant mortality in the United States has increased, reversing the decline that had occurred since 1953. The growth of inequalities is thus bad for people's health. But why?This article can also be found at the Monthly Review website, where most recent articles are published in full.Click here to purchase a PDF version of this article at the Monthly Review website

Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Health care · Health indicator · Health statistics · Inequality · Political science · Population · Sociology · Demography · Global Health Care Issues · Global Public Health Policies and Epidemiology